http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2011/02/report-duerson-died-of-self-inflicted-gunshot-wound.html

In its obituary,  The New York Times described Duerson as a safety ”who won Super Bowls with the Chicago Bears and the Giants.” When The Times did its obit, it merely said he had died in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. It was The Chicago Tribune that first revealed that Duerson had taken his own life.  

 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/sports/football/19duerson.html?ref=obituaries

On Sunday The Times reported that before Duerson killed himself Thursday, he had texted family members to tell them he wanted his brain tissue to be tested for degenerative brain damage. The disease in question is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which has been discovered in the brains of several deceased, retired NFL players. It is a condition that can cause depression, dementia and even spark suicides.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/sports/football/20duerson.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

As The Times pointed out, ex-Philadelphia Eagles player Andre Waters committed suicide, and his brain tissue indicated that he had CTE. And evidence of CTE was also found in the brain of Owen Thomas, a University of Pennsylvania football player who also killed himself.       

Duerson told his family that he wanted his brain donated to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University. That research facility is testing the brain tissue of deceased NFL players, looking for evidence of CTE, which has been linked to the repeated concussions and tramatic injury that players take to the head. 

So far, the brains of 13 of the 14 deceased players examined by the center have had CTE, according to The Times.

Duerson had gone through some hard times in recent years. A graduate of Notre Dame, he had to resign from its board after he was charged with pushing his wife, The Times said in his obit. He started a successful business, Brooks Sausage Co., sold it and then launched a second company, Duerson Foods.

But Duerson wound up selling most of Duerson Foods’  assets at auction. He got a divorce, and his home in Highland Park, Ill., went into foreclosure.

His death is heart-breaking. And to his credit, one of his last acts was donating his brain so that scientists can learn more about the disease that probably contributed to his decision to kill himself.  

Cracknell sustained traumatic brain injury after being struck by a truck while cycling in Arizona filming a documentary for Discovery Channel, his wife has disclosed to the press.

http://road.cc/content/news/20957-james-cracknells-wife-reveals-extent-his-injuries

Cracknell’s wife, Beverley Turner, said that at one point his condition was so dire that she thought they’d have to pull the plug on his life support. She added that it might take six months for Cracknell to recover from his injuries. But I wonder  to what extent he will recover, and what will the long-term impact of his traumatic brain injury?

Cracknell is semi-conscious in a neuro-trauma recovery ward, and in press interviews Turner said that she’s banking that the fact that he’s an athlete will help him pull through and recover despite his head injuries. 

Cracknell was hit from behind and reportedly fractured his skull at the back of his head. But his injury is actually in the front of his brain, because his brain shot forward when his helmeted head hit the road. He sustained a contrecoup injury to his frontal lobe, with bleeding and swelling. The frontal lobe is the part of the brain that governs personality, decision making and motivation, his wife told the press, “All the characteristics that make James who he is.”    

Luckily for Cracknell he had just bought a new Alpina bike helmet, which is designed so that it fits low on the back of the head. That design helped Cracknell. Doctors said that the helmet, which split in two when Cracknell hit the ground, saved his life.

Cracknell is alive, but he still suffered serious brain injury, despite his helmet. He is in a coma.

Doctors are saying that Cracknell will make a full recovery, which is a rather ridiculous prognosis at this juncture. Cracknell’s wife is correct: He will have a long recovery. And I’m afraid, because of the location of Cracknell’s brain injuries, his recovery is going to be a very difficult one, with no guarantees that he will emerge the same man as he was before the accident.